Is Your Cell Phone Causing Breakouts?

Have you ever noticed that one side of your face seems to break out more than the other? If that is the side where you normally hold your cell phone when making a call, your phone could be to blame for your breakouts. Find out how your cell phone could be causing acne and what to do to treat and prevent it.

Why Your Cell Phone Leads to Acne

To understand the role that your phone could have in your breakouts, you need to know a little bit about what causes acne. There are three main underlying causes of acne:

Too much sebum (oil) production
Clogged pores
Bacteria

When there is excess oil on your skin, it can become trapped inside your pores, along with dead skin cells, dirt, makeup, and other debris. This creates the perfect environment for bacteria to thrive. When bacteria moves into your clogged pores, your body reacts by triggering its inflammatory response system, which results in the red, inflamed pimples that show up on your skin.

Now think about how many germs are on your cell phone at any given time. When you push your phone against your face, that bacteria transfers onto your skin, where it can become trapped inside pores and cause acne. Additionally, the heat from your phone may trigger your skin to produce more oil, which can also contribute to clogged pores and pimples.

If you develop a rash on your skin, rather than pimples, where your cell phone rests on your face, you could have a nickel allergy. Nickel is a heavy metal that is commonly found in cell phones and is also known to cause an allergic reaction for some people.

How to Prevent Breakouts Caused By Your Phone

One of the best ways to keep your cell phone from causing breakouts is to wipe it off before and after using it. I recommend Element 47 Skin Fortifying Mist on a soft cloth to clean their phones. Another tip is to use an earpiece or other hands-free device to talk on the phone instead of pressing your phone up against your skin.

Even if you do wipe your phone off before using it, it is crucial to properly cleanse your face in the evening. This ensures that any dirt, excess oil, or bacteria that may have come into contact with your skin during the day is removed before going to bed. You can take a look at this article for more information on choosing the right cleanser for your skin type, which also impacts your skin’s health and appearance.

Everyone, no matter their skin type, should wash their face in the evening before bed for clear, healthy skin.

How Is Acne Treated?

If you do end up with a breakout, talk to a Skin Type Solutions approved physician in your area about the most appropriate acne treatment options for your unique skin type. People with dry and oily skin can get acne, but your skin type will influence the way that this common skin problem is treated.

Generally speaking, you need to address all three underlying causes of acne in order to properly treat it. However, you do not want to cause your skin to become overly dry or produce even more oil, which is why it is so important that you know your Baumann Skin Type® first.

Once you know your skin type, you can begin an acne treatment regimen that consists of:

The proper cleanser. Oily skin types can use a foaming and/or salicylic acid cleanser to remove excess oil and reduce inflammation. Dry skin types should avoid foaming cleansers, as they can cause excess dryness and irritation. Most dry types do not tolerate salicylic acid well, so this ingredient should be avoided.
Hydroxy acids. Salicylic acid is a type of beta hydroxy acid (BHA) and can help to clear your pores if you have oily skin. Those with dry skin should choose an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) cleanser, such as Essopi Glycolic 10% Moisturizing Cleanser, which can also unclog pores, yet does not dry out your skin.
Oral antibiotics or benzoyl peroxide. Your doctor may prescribe oral antibiotics to kill the acne-causing bacteria. Topical ingredients like benzoyl peroxide have this same effect. However, not all skin types will tolerate benzoyl peroxide well, especially dry or sensitive types. In this case, hydroxy acids can help by lowering the pH of your skin and making it difficult for the bacteria to live there.

Bottom Line

If you have trouble getting rid of acne on the side of your face or near your ears, your cell phone could be the culprit. Try following the acne prevention and treatment tips in this article and see if your skin clears up over the next several weeks. If you’re still having trouble, talk to a board-certified dermatologist about creating a customized treatment regimen based on your skin type.

You can also follow Baumann Cosmetic on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for more skincare information and advice from Dr. Leslie Baumann.

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